Football crazy @ Galway Film Fleadh!

Festival to host football films and a football game

The late, very great Socrates in action against Northern Ireland at Mexico 86.

THE YOUNG Roy Keane; Northern Ireland at Mexico 86; Amadeo and his unbeatable team; and a football match featuring Northern Ireland veterans and the Galway Film Fleadh - it’s all happening this week.

Given this is a World Cup year, and the semi-finals take place today and tomorrow and the final on Sunday, it is appropriate that this year’s Galway Film Fleadh features an array of football related films.

The footie films kick off on Wednesday (July 9 ) at 5pm with family animation The Unbeatables.

Amadeo is a shy but talented boy who has to face his rival on the pitch - The Champ - and he receives support from a foosball team trying to get back together after having been dismantled. This Argentinean/Spanish co-production features the voices of Rupert Grint (Harry Potter ), Anthony Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer ) and Peter Serafinowicz (Star Wars, Shaun of the Dead ).

The world premiere of Shooting for Socrates takes place on Friday (July 11 ) at 10pm. Set in Belfast against the backdrop of the 1986 World Cup finals, the film follows football supporter Arthur (Richard Dormer; Good Vibrations,Game of Thrones ), and his son Tommy, in the lead up to Northern Ireland’s match against a Brazil team featuring Socrates, Zico, and Junior.

The film also stars John Hannah (The Mummy ) as NI manager Billy Bingham, Conleth Hill (Game of Thrones ) as UTV broadcaster Jackie Fullerton, and Brónagh Gallagher (The Commitments ).

Former Northern Ireland captain and manager Sammy McIlroy, and David Campbell, also from the 1986 squad will attend the screening for an audience Q&A.

Roy Keane’s young days as a footballer for Rockmount in 1980s Cork, will be explored in the short film Rockmount to be screened on Saturday (July 12 ) at 2pm. The football scenes were filmed at the club’s ground in Whitechurch as Roy (Craig Keane Harrington ) comes toe-to-toe with his rival Peter (John Costello ).

The fleadh’s footie theme comes to a close on Sunday (July 13 ) at 11am with a soccer tournament at Mervue Utd football grounds. There will be two matches - one featuring international delegates facing an Irish film industry squad; the second will see a team featuring, among others, Northern Ireland’s Sammy McIlroy and David Campbell, with Shooting for Socrates’ actors Ciarán McMenamin and Nico Mirallegro take on Galway Film Fleadh XI playing in Brazil 86 jerseys from the film! Could the match turn out anything like this?

The Fleadh Football tournament is a free public event, while tickets for all films are available from www.galwayfilmfleadh.com